News

Feb 03, 2026

Defendant jailed after refusal to comply with court order to demolish family buildings

A Cheshire man has been jailed after refusing to comply with a court order to demolish family buildings he unlawfully erected.

Feb 03, 2026

Challenge to council failure to treat teenage boy as looked after child and provide adequate accommodation succeeds

The High Court has ruled that the London Borough of Hounslow acted unlawfully in failing to recognise a teenage boy as a “looked after” child and provide him with adequate accommodation under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 following the death of his father.

Feb 03, 2026

High Court agrees to DBS application for local authority to disclose findings made by Family Court

The High Court has ordered a local authority to disclose to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) findings made by the Family Court following public law proceedings which took place in 2021 concerning a family.

Feb 03, 2026

DWF hires Williams to lead public sector disputes team

Law firm DWF has appointed Ed Williams as a partner in Leeds as part of a drive to develop its national public sector disputes practice.

Feb 03, 2026

Housing Ombudsman publishes new guidance on compensation

The Housing Ombudsman has set out the key principles aimed at ensuring a fair approach to compensation, making clear expectations and encouraging consistency, in new guidance that will be effective from 1 April 2026.

Feb 02, 2026

Court of Appeal rejects challenge to housing licensing designations over lack of standing

The Court of Appeal has dismissed a challenge to the lawfulness of the two designations made by Luton Borough Council under the Housing Act 2004, finding that the High Court was correct to conclude that the claimant company did not have sufficient interest to bring a claim for judicial review.

Feb 02, 2026

Greenwich Council concedes pension fund investment policy was “unlawful” following Israel divestment challenge: law centre

Greenwich Council has reportedly acknowledged that a clause in its employee pension fund Investment Strategy was “unlawful”, in response to a legal challenge launched by a group of campaigners seeking to force the local authority to divest from Israeli-linked investments.

Feb 02, 2026

Union warns Birmingham faces 400+ claims in bin workers dispute, but council suggests it could face another huge equal pay bill

Birmingham City Council faces more than 400 legal claims from bin workers who argue their pay has been “unfairly attacked”, but the local authority has warned that union demands would leave it with another equal pay bill of hundreds of millions of pounds.

Feb 02, 2026

Council delayed carrying out “significant number” of EHC Plan annual reviews in 2024 and 2025: Ombudsman

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council at fault after it delayed carrying out a “significant number” of EHC Plan annual reviews for children in its area in 2024 and 2025.

Feb 02, 2026

LGA publishes guide on Operation Ford and policing crime against elected members

The Local Government Association has published a guide on Operation Ford, the new policing provision aiming to strengthen protective security and policing support for councillors, elected mayors, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and candidates for those roles.

Feb 02, 2026

Forestry Commission to hold preliminary market engagement for legal support for renewable energy development

The Forestry Commission is to hold preliminary market engagement for the provision of legal support for renewable energy development.

Feb 02, 2026

London nightlife taskforce calls for changes to ‘Agent of Change’ principle

The Government should strengthen the Agent of Change principle and update planning legislation to achieve a “better balance” between residents and cultural spaces, a ‘taskforce’ of London nightlife professionals has said.

Feb 02, 2026

Landmark Chambers bolsters planning team with arrival of Scott Stemp and George Mackenzie

Planning specialists Scott Stemp and George Mackenzie have joined Landmark Chambers.

Jan 30, 2026

Richard Blakeway to step down as Housing Ombudsman following completion of two term limit

Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman, has confirmed he will step down as Housing Ombudsman in July having served the ‘standard’ two terms of three years, plus an extension.

Jan 30, 2026

Standards investigation finds six councillors breached code over ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp group

An independent investigator has said six councillors have breached Tameside Council's code of conduct over their involvement in a controversial group chat which garnered national attention and led to local MP Andrew Gwynne being suspended from the Labour Party.

Jan 30, 2026

Transport for London confirms new Legal Directors following strategic review

Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed the appointment of two new Legal Directors following a strategic review of the legal department's leadership structure.

Jan 30, 2026

Judge rejects application by council for declaration that first respondent was not biological mother

The Family Court has refused an application by a London borough for a declaration that a woman was not the biological mother of two children, while making final care orders placing the children in long-term foster care.

Jan 30, 2026

Local Government Secretary reverses position to postpone Pendle elections as Essex bid for delay fails

The Secretary of State for Local Government, Steve Reed, has approved Pendle Borough Council's request to delay local elections, following a last-minute representation from the local authority.

Jan 30, 2026

Gypsy and Traveller Law Network to be launched next month

A network of legal professionals representing Gypsy and Traveller clients, particularly around accommodation matters, is to be launched next month.

Jan 29, 2026

Legal Services Board criticises differences in clarity of advice from regulators on conduct of litigation

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has highlighted differences in the clarity and consistency of guidance that legal services regulators have given on the conduct of litigation.

Jan 29, 2026

Burges Salmon advises council on £750m+ regeneration scheme near railway station

Law firm Burges Salmon has advised Stevenage Borough Council on its partnership with Muse, English Cities Fund (ECF) and Homes England in relation to the £750 million–£1 billion mixed-use redevelopment of Station Gateway, Stevenage.

Jan 29, 2026

SCIE calls for national standards in adult social care

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has called for national standards in adult social care, after warning that social care in England is marked by “stark geographic variation”.

Jan 29, 2026

Charity refused permission for judicial review over swimming arrangements at Hampstead Heath on basis claim is premature and should have been brought by individual

The High Court has refused Sex Matters permission for a judicial review against the admission arrangements at two of the open-air swimming ponds on Hampstead Heath, on the basis that the claim is “premature”, that the more appropriate person to bring the claim would be an individual, and that the…

Jan 29, 2026

Council set to bring in protocol to deal with low level member on member complaints in accordance with Public Services Ombudsman for Wales guidance

Monmouthshire County Council is expected to implement a local resolution protocol to allow low level member on member complaints to be settled without reference to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

Jan 29, 2026

Claimant fails in challenge to decision by inspector to grant permission for gypsy/traveller site following council refusal

An attempt to bring a review of a planning inspector’s decision to allow a Gypsy/ Traveller site in Worcestershire “really is a merits challenge”, HHJ Karen Walden-Smith has found in the High Court.

Jan 29, 2026

Council wins statutory review challenge over finding by planning inspector that entire site was previously developed land

Ribble Valley Borough Council has overturned a planning inspector’s decision in a rare case of the High Court upholding an irrationality challenge.

Jan 29, 2026

County council defeats High Court challenge to traffic regulation order

The Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) has failed on all five grounds it argued in a High Court challenge to a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) made by Lincolnshire County Council.

Jan 29, 2026

Judge dismisses challenge to closure of adult education centre despite consultation failures

The High Court has decided the outcome for a claimant would have been the same even had the London Borough of Bromley correctly consulted service users before deciding to close an adult education centre, some of whose attendees have learning difficulties.

Jan 28, 2026

Solicitors Regulation Authority issues formal warning on ‘no win, no fee’ arrangements

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued a formal warning on ‘no win, no fee’ arrangements to law firms and solicitors, amid concerns over how the market for high-volume consumer claims operates and the risks this can pose to the public.

Jan 28, 2026

Government confirms social rent convergence plans and raises Housing Revenue Account threshold

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has unveiled a package of measures aimed at accelerating social and affordable housebuilding, including confirming how social rent convergence will be implemented, allowing councils to build up to 1,000 new homes without having to open a new…

Jan 28, 2026

Commissioners praise improvements at Thurrock, flag local government reorganisation risk to progress

Commissioners at Thurrock Council have flagged concerns about local government reorganisation (LGR) putting pressure on the council’s transformation programme.

Jan 28, 2026

Police force fined for failing to protect officers during riot training exercise

Derbyshire Police has been fined £60,000 after four officers taking part in a riot training exercise sustained burns to their lower bodies.

Jan 28, 2026

South Coast council becomes seventh local authority to secure top grade from Regulator for Social Housing

The Regulator of Social Housing has awarded Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) a C1 grading following an inspection, meaning it meets the outcomes of RSH’s consumer standards.

Jan 27, 2026

Councils are responsible for children with SEN who are “ordinarily resident”, even when temporarily abroad: Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal brought by Hampshire County Council in a case concerning the council’s decision to cease to maintain an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for a disabled child when the family temporarily relocated abroad due to the father’s service in the Royal Navy.

Jan 27, 2026

New consumer protection rules for heat network customers go live

New consumer protection rules governing heat networks in England, Scotland and Wales have come into force today, with Ofgem named as regulator and given powers to tackle unfair price increases and poor service.

Jan 27, 2026

Report calls for young people to be offered meetings with judges responsible for decisions about their futures

A pilot to enhance the “direct participation” of young people in care proceedings by enabling them to meet regularly with the judges responsible for decisions about their futures has found that most “felt heard” and “appreciated being treated as individuals”.

Jan 27, 2026

Parish and town councils warn of financial hit as principal authority elections delayed

Parish and town councils have expressed concern over having to shoulder the full financial burden of running their own local elections in areas where principal authorities have been given permission to delay elections.

Jan 27, 2026

Government concedes judicial review over “serious logical error” in data centre approval

The Government has abandoned efforts to defend a judicial review challenge regarding a decision to approve a data centre without requiring an environmental impact assessment, following the Supreme Court findings in CG Fry & Son Ltd v SSHCLG.

Jan 27, 2026

Local government should have “full and formal role” in care pay plan negotiations, say county councils

The County Councils Network has called for local government to have a “full and formal role” in negotiations to improve the pay and conditions for care workers, with local authorities the largest commissioners of adult social care in England and holders of responsibilities to local care markets.

Jan 27, 2026